Servitude
by Let-The-Time-Fly
Summary: After Hiccup is chosen to kill the monstrous nightmare, he decides to leave Berk with Toothless. But when he is captured by pirates, he is saved by a mysterious force that Hiccup becomes indebted to. Five years after Hiccup disappears from Berk and the Dragon Master begins controlling dragon raids, the vikings resort to a virgin sacrifice in an attempt to please the Dragon Master.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: Gone

Hiccup never thought it would come to this. But then again, he was surprised he hadn't done it earlier. He was surprised he didn't leave right after he felt comfortable riding Toothless. He figured that a small part of him was still _hoping_. A part of him was hoping that one day, everyone would accept him. He waited for the day when they would be glad to be around him rather than be burdened. Hiccup tried countless times to become friends with the only teenagers that were his age. But even they shunned him. Well, almost all of them.

Astrid was the only one who hadn't directly insulted him, at least until today. Now, as he was packing all his baskets for his travels, he realized that she was the _only_ one out of everyone in the entire village that hadn't directly called him _useless_ or a _mess up._ But now…

It was the day that they would face the Deadly Nadder in dragon training. Gobber had an intricate wooden maze set up to make them think about their movements. Hiccup had different priorities, however. He was more concerned with everyone's knowledge about Night Furies than he was about the Nadder chasing everyone about. That's when he heard his name.

"HICCUP!" He had all but a second to turn around and see Astrid Hofferson land on him with her axe on the battlefield. He heard the twins make a remark about them, but he didn't care for it too much. When she got off of him in the nick of time to slam the shield into the Deadly Nadder's head. Hiccup was cowering behind her. At the sight of him, Astrid decided she had had enough.

"Is this some kind of a joke to you?! Our parents' war is about to become ours! Figure out which side you're on!" she exclaimed as he pointed her axe in his face. After fifteen years of suffering, Hiccup finally snapped. _I already did_ , he thought. And with that, he stood up quickly and walked straight to Astrid. Shocked by the sudden burst of confidence from Hiccup, Astrid backed away. Hiccup looked her straight in the eye with all the ferocity he could muster. Without another word, he turned around and went to gather his things.

Once he made it to the cove, he was ready to leave. He had his basket full of his things, and Toothless all saddled up. They didn't know where they were going to go, but anywhere was better than there.

Hiccup was so caught up in today's thoughts, that he hadn't even noticed Astrid sitting on the rock above him.

0000

After Hiccup glared at Astrid, she couldn't help but feel his anger. She would never admit this to anyone, but she was actually a little scared by his sudden ferocity. She always thought of Hiccup as a gentle, kind boy. That was one of the reasons she had a secret crush on him. But today, she was already aggravated by Snotlout's earlier attempts at flirting that she snapped at the only teen she would ever be willing to be with. When she saw the look in his eyes, she could tell that something had been pulled; a stick had been snapped inside him. As he walked away, she couldn't help but feel a little regret for what she had just said: to even question his allegiance to them was a low blow.

So she decided to follow him. She was going to apologize somehow. But she couldn't figure out how. When he started running towards the woods with a basket on his back, she couldn't help but feel suspicious. She carefully followed him through the trees and into a vast cove. She had never been to that place before in her life. When she finally confronted him, he was already cowering back. Astrid could tell he was hiding something.

That's when she saw _it_. A Night Fury, black as night with green eyes full of ferocity, just like Hiccup's. She was so taken aback by the site of the night fury that she tripped over a stick and fell back on her head. She felt a thump as her head crashed into the rock behind her, and then the world went black.

0000

"Oh boy, oh boy this is bad," Hiccup said as he tried to pull Astrid's head into his lap.

"This was never supposed to happen bud." He didn't want to leave her like this, but there wasn't much time left before people would start noticing their disappearance, well mostly Astrid's. He made sure that she was still breathing before laying her head back carefully into some soft grass. Even when she was unconscious, Hiccup thought she was the most beautiful girl in the world.

With one last glance at her, he took off on Toothless. It was already nighttime by the time they actually lifted off and the moon was full and shun upon the cove. Hiccup couldn't help but notice how Astrid slowly got up after he and Toothless took off. He saw her fall to her knees when she saw that he wasn't there anymore. He thought that she was about to cry for a second, but Hiccup knew better. Who would cry for Hiccup the Useless? Without looking back, Hiccup and Toothless flew away from the island.

0000

Astrid awoke to the beating of wings around her. _Oh God, there must be a dragon raid_ , she thought. But she looked around only to find herself in a cove. All the events of the day came rushing back into her mind. She followed Hiccup, confronted him, hit her head, and now… now she couldn't find him. She looked around to see if he was anywhere in the cove, but all she saw were burns in the grass. At the sight of the burns, she felt her heart drop. Hiccup was… _gone_. The dragon must have killed him. She didn't even notice the tears that were falling from her eyes. After a few more minutes of grieving, she couldn't but think it was all her fault.

If she just kept her mouth shut, none of this would have happened. Hiccup would be safe, but because of her, he was gone. Astrid ran back to the village as fast as she could, tears streaming out of her eyes. She burst into the great hall to find their chief in hopes that they could find the only heir Berk had.

0000

Hiccup felt tired. They had been flying for hours and a hint of orange was already starting to show in the horizon. He heard Toothless grunt out of exhaustion, so they decided to rest on a small island. They were already far away from Berk; no ship would sail this far. They probably thought that he was still on the island. After all, how else would he get off? They didn't know he had trained a dragon. As they landed on the beach, Hiccup couldn't help but wonder what would have happened if he stayed and tried to convince the Vikings how friendly dragons really could be.

But as his feet came into contact with the sand, Hiccup couldn't deny feeling as if something was watching him. The island sent shivers through his spine and he thought he saw the black silhouette of something on the tree line. Almost as soon as he had noticed it, the figure was gone.

Hiccup carefully approached the tree line before calling out to the mysterious figure. "Hello? Is anyone there?"

Hiccup thought he heard strange whispers all around him. But he was snapped out of it when he heard the sound of a catapult. He quickly turned around and saw Toothless trapped underneath a net with heavy weights holding down each corner. Hiccup saw what looked like a pirate clamping Toothless's mouth shut with a belt.

"I got the devil!" he exclaimed.

"Good, I'll get the boy," another said.

Before he could do anything, another pirate came out of the trees and held Hiccup in an arm lock. Out of the corner of his eye, Hiccup could see two other burly-looking pirates come from the tree line.

One of them looked like the leader of the group. "Well, well, well, look at what we got 'ere lads," he said.

The one holding Toothless down chuckled. "What's your name kid?" he asked bitterly.

Hiccup didn't respond; he did not want these pirates to know his identity. As if reading his mind, the pirate nodded and said, "I see how it is." He then hook-punched Hiccup in the jaw. He could feel the blood in his mouth. With a punch to the stomach this time, the man finally said, "I'm only going to ask this one more time. What is your name?"

Hiccup coughed some blood out before weakly muttering, "Hiccup. Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III, heir of Berk."

Hiccup heard all the pirates "Ooooo" sarcastically. The leader then spoke again. "Well if you're a chief, then by all means I'll just go ahead offer you my most sincere greeting."

Hiccup received another punch across the face. "W-What do you want from me?" Hiccup asked faintly.

The pirate simply laughed. "What do you we want? I'll tell you what we want. We want money, and LOTS of it. I'm sure your village will be more than happy to get their scrawny chief back."

"M-My village will never pay for me. I'm worthless to them," Hiccup said through the blood in his mouth. He heard Toothless whimpering as the pirate held him down.

"Then I guess you're worthless to us too then." The pirate turned around and waved the pirates over after saying, "Teach 'im a lesson boys."

The rest of the pirates took turns beating Hiccup senseless. He wondered when the suffering would end and he could just die. It seemed that Death had other plans for him. With a kick to the face, Hiccup blacked out and fell to the ground.

0000

"What do you mean he was taken?!" Stoick the Vast's voice boomed through the great hall.

"A _night fury_ took him, chief! We need to get out there and look for him!" Astrid yelled as she gestured to the doors.

Then she noticed Stoick's eyes narrow.

"Wait a minute, how did you know he was taken?"

Astrid looked at the ground and said, "I followed him after I yelled at him in dragon training. He ran into the woods afterwards. I was going to confront him, but then a night fury came out of nowhere and I fell backwards."

Astrid could see anger forming in Stoick's eyes. "So let me get this straight. _You_ insulted my _son_ and drove him, the only heir to the chiefdom, to his death?"

Taken aback by his harsh words, Astrid took a step back. "I-I didn't think he would-"

She was suddenly interrupted by a fist slamming on the table. "I should have seen this coming! I should have never put him in dragon training with all of you! You should all be _ashamed_ of yourselves! What a great dishonor you have all brought upon your families!"

Astrid was shocked by the chief's words. She could see in the corner of her eyes the rest of the group cowering back at his words.

"I want search parties all over this island! No stone gets unturned!" Without another word, the chief shoved past Astrid with a glare and kicked the doors open.

0000

With his face in the dirt, Hiccup looked up to see the four pirates around him. After beating him senseless, Hiccup thinks that they are going to kill him. But as his eyes move from one pirate to the other, he can see the frightened expressions on their faces as the moon shines on them. He hears strange sounds around him that sound like faint lightning strikes. He sees the trees around him start to collapse as the mysterious force moves closer and closer before he sees a black hooded figure standing in front of them all.

One of the pirates shouts something, but Hiccup is so close to unconsciousness that he doesn't hear him. The hooded figure simple stands there before taking out a staff with a strange curved blade on the end of it. All four pirates draw their swords in preparation for a fight. All of a sudden, Hiccup hears a loud crash as all four pirates fall down to the ground. He sees the hooded figure approach him. Hiccup cannot make out the face underneath the hood; it is too dark to see even with a full moon. As Hiccup begins to loose consciousness, he feels a very bony hand on his forehead before the hooded figure says, "It is not your time…"

Hiccup woke up several hours later in a bed. He thought he should feel sore from the beatings, but if anything he felt better rested than he ever had in his life. The bed he was laying in was softer than any furs he had ever rested on. The covers of the bed were not even furs, but something softer that had multiple layers. Hiccup took a look around. He was in a very strange room unlike anything he had ever seen before. The floor was made up of stone bricks and the walls were also made of bricks. Tall windows around the room filled the room with sunlight. The ceiling was very tall with an intricate chandelier hanging.

The door was made of dark oak and the handle was a carving of a skull. Behind him was the bedframe. It had intricate carvings and writings in it. But all carvings and sculptures on the headrest lead to one sentence that was larger than the rest.

 _We do only what we are meant to do_.

Hiccup got out of the bed and walked over to the window. He looked outside and was taken aback by the scenery. The room he resided in was part of a gigantic palace that over looked the entire island it was on. Hiccup only heard about castles like these in stories that traders would bring whenever they came to Berk. But there was something strange about this place. Hiccup felt… well he didn't feel anything. No sadness, no happiness… _nothing_. He felt like he didn't belong, like he wasn't meant to be in this place, like no one was meant to be in this place. When Hiccup turned around, the same figure with torn black robes stood before him. Hiccup hadn't even noticed him, or it, enter. There was something eerie about the man, something off-putting.

"W-Who are you?" Hiccup asked.

"It's magnificent isn't it," he simply replied. His voice was raspy and sounded forced. The mysterious figure acted as if he hadn't heard Hiccup's question.

The figure walked past Hiccup to the window. As he passed by, Hiccup felt himself shiver.

"The first of us built it. Five thousand generations ago, the first of us decided that he did not like living underneath the Earth. So he built this place."

"I don't understand…" Hiccup said.

The figure turned around slowly. "I wouldn't expect you too. But I suppose that you are curious as to why you are here and what exactly I am." The figure started to raise his hands to his hood. Hiccup hadn't noticed it before, but his hands were… _bones_. Not bony, but they were skinless. They were simply bones.

"I am known as many different things, but one name is most associated with me. Many people fear the day that I come for them," he said as he pulled back his hood. Hiccup's eyes widened when he saw not a man, but a skeleton. The figure in front of him was a skeleton with a blazing darkness in, what would be, its eyes. "Your people call me Death."

Hiccup shivered as it said those words. There was no way that the force that claimed everyone's lives was standing before him. "That's-That's impossible."

"Is it really so impossible? When you arrived at the beach, you sensed something didn't you? You saw me destroy all of your attackers. And here I am, standing before you. Is it really so hard to believe?"

"If-If you're death, then does that mean I'm dead?" Hiccup asked.

"Far from it. We have plenty of things to do. All will be explained in due time. For now, I suppose that I will appear to you as my former human self."

Death's robe started moving around to cover him and engulf him in what became black smoke. As the smoke dissipated, Hiccup saw a fully skinned man who was standing in front of him. He was no longer wearing his torn robes, but was rather wearing a strange outfit. He was fitted with leather boots and torn pants. He was wearing a black tunic with a ragged hem that fell beneath his waist. He had black hair and red eyes that sent shivers down Hiccup's spine.

"Follow me," he said in a voice that was much more human. Death waved the door open with his hand and walked out into the long stone hallway.

"It is time for us to begin," he said as Hiccup followed him into the dark hallway.

0000

After hours of searching the island, no one could find Hiccup. Stoick's heart broke the day Valka was taken, but now that he lost his son as well, there was nothing left but a cold shell of a man. After the searches were called off, Stoick pushed through the great hall and pointed a finger at the teenage group. They all cowered back in fear of the chief.

"Your actions will not be forgotten. You have all brought great dishonor to your families. Especially you, Hofferson. I would have expected more from the greatest warrior of your generation." With that, Stoick swiftly turned around and stormed to his house. Shortly after, Astrid ran out to her own house. She could already feel the tears welling up in her eyes. She really missed Hiccup. If he came back now, she would tell him how sorry she was for ignoring him ever since they turned ten. She would have told him how she wanted them to be best friends like they were when they were kids. She would have told him how she had a secret crush on him. As she sobbed into the pillow, all she could think about was the look that Hiccup gave her when he left the academy.


	2. Chapter 2

**So after some thinking, I decided I'm going to continue this story. Weekly updates which will usually be every Wednesday for this story. Enjoy!**

0000

Chapter 2: Successor

"I still don't understand what you want from me, _Death_." Hiccup shivered at the name. He would have never thought he would be talking to the force that can bring eternal sadness.

"You don't understand why you are here, but you _know_ why you are here, Hiccup." Death swiftly turned around in the middle of the hallway to face him. "All your life, you have known that there is something _different_ about you. You looked different, you thought differently, and you acted differently. But you are just like the rest of _us_."

"What do you mean _us_? I don't _know_ why you brought me to this… this… _Hell_."

Death smirked in response. "No, that's where you are wrong. This place, this is not what you call Hell. That is the place beneath the living world; this is the gateway between the living and the dead. And _I_ am the gatekeeper. I hold all the keys and watch all the locks. But even I must retire sometime, just as my predecessors have."

Hiccup's eyes widened. _No. No he can't be suggesting_ that. _I could never…_

As if reading his mind, Death scoffed and said, "You understand now don't you? You understand why you are here, Hiccup. My time as the gatekeeper is coming to an end, and it is almost time that I pass the keys to you."

Hiccup backed away in fear. _How could this happen to me? This wasn't supposed to happen. This was all a coincidence. I got mad and thought it would be best to leave Berk. I was never meant to be his successor._

"I know what you're thinking, Hiccup. You're thinking, 'Oh! How could this happen to me! This was never supposed to happen! Blah! Blah! Blah!'" Hiccup gave him a confused look. "Believe me Hiccup, I know. I was the exact same way when my predecessor chose me. You're lucky I haven't killed you yet. You're lucky I haven't taken away your life as my predecessor did to me. You have not served your purpose on this world yet."

Hiccup still couldn't believe his ears. How was the scrawny, useless Viking supposed to become the force that could defeat anything?

"T-There has to be some kind of mistake. I'm just… Hiccup. There's nothing special about me, I wasn't born to become this."

"That's where you're wrong. You think that you being different from _them_ is a coincidence? No… You were _made_ for this. But you are not ready for this yet. I would have never expected you to come so close to meeting your doom so early in life, but I suppose now is just as good a time as any."

"As good a time as any for what?" Hiccup asked in confusion.

Death gave an evil grin before saying, "For you to do what you want to do. To protect those on the side you chose when you left."

0000

Astrid awoke late the next day. Her cheeks were crusty with dried tears and she was sweaty from nightmares that ravaged her dreams the entire night. They were all the same. In her dream, Astrid and Hiccup switched places and she was the one suffering through the fifteen years of torment. She didn't know what kept Hiccup going those fifteen years. She promised herself that if she _ever_ saw him again, she would apologize for what she did.

She groggily got out of bed and made her way to dragon training. Even thought lessons were cancelled because of the disappearance of Hiccup, she wouldn't be able to stand not doing anything. Her mind would drift off to him and she would feel her heart shatter again.

Astrid felt blisters forming on her hands after hours of throwing her axe at the barrels in the ring. As she was about to throw her axe again, she felt a sudden chill around her. The immediate vicinity became so cold that she could see her own breath. She began shivering. Astrid couldn't help but feel that she was being watched by _something_. Even though no one was around, she felt as if something was incredibly close, and it was unsettling to say the least. She soon found that she couldn't take it anymore and ran as fast as she could from the dragon ring.

As she exited the ring, she accidentally ran into the large body of another Viking. She looked up only to see Spitelout glaring at her.

"Watch where you're going, girl. You've already brought upon enough trouble." Without another word, the burly man walked away.

Astrid could already feel the tears welling in her eyes again. Not wanting anyone to see her so weak, she ran into the forest to get as far away from the village as she could. She went to the only place that she knew no one would go to. After a few minutes of running with tears streaming down her face, Astrid entered the cove and collapsed by the water. She felt the tears running down her face and dripping into the water. _Why did you leave me, Hiccup? Why did you leave me all alone?_ Astrid knew those thoughts were ridiculous. It's not like she ever acknowledged him in a friendly manner, so who was she to question his actions.

"I'm sorry okay!" she screamed. "Please, Hiccup! If you're out there, please come home!"

0000

Death brought Hiccup into a strange room with an elliptical ceiling with intricate paintings on it. In the center of the room were two chairs. One of them had different carvings on it while the other was a strange wooden chair with leather straps where the feet would rest and on the arm rests. The strange chair was directly in front of the other one.

He walked over and lit the candles with a wave of his hand around the walls in order to illuminate the large room.

"You asked me what you were meant to do," he said. "Right now, all I can tell you is that you are going to become a part of the dragon raids in the Archipelagos. You will have to choose what you are going to do in these raids. You can either help the dragons and rain terror on the villages, or you can try to minimalize the casualties from either side." He turned around after lighting the last of the candles. "We both know which of those two you will choose, Hiccup."

Hiccup suddenly remembered Toothless. What had happened to him? Was he all right? Hiccup had been so caught up in the unbelievable events of the day that he had forgotten about his only friend.

"If I am going to do as you ask, then I need my dragon. Where is he?"

Death chuckled to himself. "I was wondering when you were going to ask that. He's perfectly fine. I created his species specifically for you. I made what you call 'night furies' different from the rest of the dragons so that you would form a bond with the dragon that you could not form with any other."

" _You_ created Toothless?" Hiccup was astonished with what Death had said. Creating an entire dragon species for him? Death must have had this whole thing planned out.

"It is the unholy offspring of lightning and death isn't it?" Death replied with a chuckle.

"What is this place?" Hiccup asked.

As Death took a seat in the carved chair, he motioned for Hiccup to take the seat in front of him.

"This is where you learn. This is the place where I give you the keys to the gates. But I'm only going to give you a few keys today, Hiccup. The rest will come when you are ready to take my place."

As Hiccup cautiously approached the menacing chair, he asked, "How will I learn? What are you going to pass down to me?"

"You will find out soon enough."

When Hiccup sat down, Death came over and strapped his arms and legs down. He felt his heart beat faster as the straps tightened on his limbs.

"Do not worry so much, these are just to keep you held down."

Once the last strap was tied, Death retreated back to his chair. He rolled up his sleeves to reveal his hands were now bones again that were glowing blue.

"Keep me held down for wh- AHHHH!" Hiccup screamed as Death's hands were placed on his back. Hiccup felt a rush of things in his head that he couldn't grasp on too. He felt as if his mind was going to explode from all the things flashing in front of his eyes.

As the pain subsided with the retreat of his hands, Death said, "That's your training."

"I don't understand. I don't feel anything different."

As he unstrapped Hiccup, Death simply replied, "You will."

Death motioned for Hiccup to stand up in front of him. "I'm going to try to hit you, Hiccup. Don't let me."

"I'm the worst fighter back at-" Hiccup was suddenly cut off by a punch coming straight at his face. Somehow, Hiccup blocked the punch. Another one came from Death's other hand and somehow Hiccup dodged and pushed that one to the side. Death came up with a knee that was intended to hit Hiccup in the side, but he managed to block that too. Suddenly, Hiccup counter attacked death with a kick to the chest, a punch to the face, and a sweep to the legs.

Death was on the ground in a matter of seconds. He smiled to himself and said, "Good. You took the training quite well."

"How did I just do that?" Hiccup asked amazed, "And what training? I still don't understand."

Death grinned at him. "Don't you feel it? What you just did? You _fought_. You want to know what I trained you in Hiccup? I just transferred centuries of ancient fighting skills from different parts of the world to you. What you just did was a skill that took people their entire lives to master. I just turned you in to the most skilled fighter in the world."

Hiccup looked at his hands in awe, as if they contained some power that could blast through walls.

"Besides, you're going to need to know how to fight if you want to stay alive in the territories of the _savages_ you call Vikings." Hiccup flinched at Death's harsh tone towards his former people.

0000

Astrid had never felt more defeated in her life. How could the disappearance of the village runt have such an impact on her? It's not like she's been his best friend for the past few years, but her heart ached every time she thought about him. Every time anyone so much as said the first syllable of his name, she would see his face and her hear would break all over again.

And she was left to pick up the pieces.

When dragon training resumed, Astrid didn't have the same motivation she had before. Killing dragons used to be a duty to her tribe. It was a duty that she had to fulfill to protect everyone. But now, it was revenge. Revenge on the dragons for taking Hiccup away and ruining her life. She was driven by anger and sadness.

When the Deadly Nadder came out of it cage, Astrid froze. Seeing the scar on the side of the Nadder's neck reminded her of the day Hiccup disappeared. As the Nadder charged at her, Astrid's eyes only widened. She didn't see a Nadder, she saw _Hiccup_ charging at her with the same ferocity in his eyes. Astrid hadn't realized what was happening until Snotlout pushed her out of the way of the dragon.

After Gobber pulled the dragon back into its cage, Snotlout came over to Astrid as she got up.

"Hey babe, what happened out there? Are you alright?" he said as he cupped her cheek. She twisted his wrist and shoved him to the ground.

"Don't you _ever_ touch me, Snotlout." Astrid felt the stares from everyone who was watching the dragon training. They were all staring at her with wide eyes at the sudden burst of violence. Even the chief was watching. His eyes were full of anger and hatred. Unable to take the gazes any longer, Astrid ran out of the ring to her house. Everything in her life was messed up. She cried herself to sleep that night.

0000

"I'm going to show you something, Hiccup." After testing Hiccup's fighting skills, Death was confident that the training had worked and that Hiccup was now the most skilled warrior in the world. But from the transfer, Hiccup felt something dark inside him, something strange. He felt his fear around Death dissipating and he felt anger at his people for turning against him.

"And what would that be?" he asked as they walked down the hallway.

Death stopped and turned around before saying, "Your village."

Suddenly the long hallway turned into black smoke. After the smoke had disappeared, Hiccup found himself back in the middle of the village. Death was no longer in his human form, but he was the dark skeleton with torn robes. Hiccup panicked. What if they saw him? What would they do to him?

As if sensing his panic, Death said, "Do not worry, my apprentice. They cannot see you, and they cannot see me." Death's voice became the raspy voice that sent chills down Hiccup's spine.

As he said that, one of the Vikings walked _through_ Hiccup. "Why did you bring me back here?" Hiccup asked.

"I'm going to show you how no one cared for your disappearance. Look around Hiccup. Everyone is carrying along with their daily activities. Some of them even have a smile on their face. Nothing has changed."

Hiccup took a step back. "No. That can't be true, there has to be _someone_ who cared."

"Follow me, Hiccup."

Death started to walk to the dragon-training arena and passed through the closed gate with ease. Hiccup did the same. Astrid was there, throwing her axe into the target barrels. She was training, as usual.

"You call her Astrid, don't you?" Hiccup nodded in response, not removing his gaze from her.

"You were once friends as children. You two were very close." Hiccup remembered those days when he could share things with Astrid.

"But look at her now," he said as he approached her. Hiccup thought he saw Astrid shiver as Death approached her. "She is carrying on with her activities. It's as if you never existed to her. If you never existed to her, the girl who was once your closest friend, then who else in this pathetic village would care for you?"

Hiccup was about to say his father, but Death interrupted him. "You think your father cares? He's the chief, Hiccup. He has more important things to do than care for his son."

Something snapped inside of Hiccup. The speck of hope that he was holding on to vanished. All he felt now was anger. Hiccup thought he saw Death's skull of a face form a grin.

Death gave a devilish laugh before they teleported back to the castle. Once they were back, Hiccup noticed how Death had materialized himself into his former human self. He couldn't stop thinking about what he had said. How no one cared for his disappearance. He thought that at least his _father_ would care, but no, of course not. And Astrid, he thought that maybe she would feel the slightest bit guilty for driving off the only heir to Berk, but from what he saw, she didn't care at all either. There was a part inside of Hiccup that wanted to help the dragons destroy the villages, to help the only species that has ever accepted him. But then he would be just like Death: evil and twisted. Hiccup did not want to become like that.

"I've chosen my side," Hiccup said. Death turned around with a grin on his face.

"I've chosen to minimalize the casualties between the Vikings and the dragons." Hiccup saw Death's expression fall.

"What?" he asked as if he misunderstood.

"I'm not like you, Death. You may have all your humanity that you once had, but I haven't and I don't plan on completely turning into you any time soon. So when I go in for dragon raids, I will not harm humans."

Death's face twitched a bit in fury. "You do realize that when they see you on the back of a dragon in a dragon raid, they will do everything in their power to destroy you. They are stubborn savages, Hiccup."

"I'll take my chances." Hiccup swiftly turned around to head back to his room but was stopped when Death materialized in front of him, red eyes staring into Hiccup's soul. He felt as if his insides were burning.

"We are not done yet, Hiccup. There is one last thing to do…"

0000


	3. Chapter 3

**So I tried to keep the constant switches between Astrid and Hiccup to a minimum. In the future, once their lives are tied together, there will be a very small amount of switches between Berk and Hiccup and Astrid. Enjoy!**

Chapter 3

Astrid awoke with crusty cheeks from dried up tears. She had only cried once in her life when her Uncle Finn left from the dishonor he brought upon their family. She remembered how she ran into the woods and started crying behind a tree. She remembered hearing a branch break from someone's footsteps. Astrid was going to confront her follower and probably break their nose for seeing her cry. But she stopped herself when she saw the auburn haired boy in front of her. His eyes were wide in surprise when he saw her fist raised in the air.

They were still friends back then. They would share stories with each other and laugh at each other's jokes. Hiccup was the best friend that Astrid could ever ask for. He never laughed at her weaknesses, and he was always there for her when she needed a shoulder to cry on, well more like beat up on. So every time that Snotlout or one of the twins would make fun of him, Astrid would feel something tug on her heart at the sight of his saddened face.

Hiccup came after her because he knew what happened to her Uncle and he knew that she would have most likely gone into the woods to hide from everyone.

"Hiccup? What are you doing here?" she asked as she lowered her fist.

"I-I came looking for you. I heard about your Uncle. I'm so sorry," he responded.

"Thanks."

"Did you want to talk about it?" he asked nervously.

"No, not really. But do you want to sit with me?"

Hiccup nodded his head eagerly as he made his way over to Astrid. They started talking and laughing together. Astrid already felt the sadness and dishonor start to leave her world only to be filled with Hiccup. And she didn't want it filled with anything else. It was at the moment, when they were staring into each other's eyes telling stories underneath a tree, that Astrid realized that she liked Hiccup Haddock. She _really_ liked him. Even though they grew farther and farther apart over the years, Astrid still _really_ liked him. But she let her stupid pride come first.

Now, as she lay in her bed staring at the ceiling, she wished more than anything that they could go back to those times: when they were best friends and would chase each other around and tell stories. She wished for that more than anything. After finally working up the power to get up, Astrid threw her blankets off of herself. She quickly grabbed her axe and ran out of the house. After the chief had declared the dishonor that had been brought upon her and her friends' families, Astrid could barely keep her back straight from the stares she was receiving.

She made a beeline to dragon training, careful to avoid the chief and his brother. Upon arriving, the sight of all the other teens surprised her. Snotlout was looking at his sword, Fishlegs was re-reading the book of dragons, and the twins were wrestling on the ground. She would have expected them to at least be a _little_ saddened by the disappearance of the chief's son or the dishonor they had brought.

"What are you guys doing?" Astrid asked bitterly.

"Nothing, we were just messing around. What's with you?" Ruff asked as she got off her brother.

"Yeah, is it that time of the month for you?" Tuff asked with a quirked head. Astrid swiftly walked over to him and gave him a right hook to the face, effectively knocking him out.

"Don't you guys feel just a _little_ bit guilty that we drove off the heir of Berk?" she asked as she gestured with her axe.

She heard the others scoff; she was infuriated further. Snotlout hopped off of the barrel he was sitting and walked over to Astrid with that cocky grin on his face. He leaned his elbow on her shoulder and looked into the sky.

"Come on, babe. Maybe he was good in the ring, but who would want him as a chief? I mean like seriously! Have you even seen him?" Astrid had her fair share of glances, which made her blush slightly. Snotlout didn't even notice. "He's a failure! Anyone can see that _I_ would be a better chief. And besides," he said as he turned to her with a suggestive grin, "that would make you the _wife_ of the chief."

Astrid quickly shoved his elbow off of her shoulder and kicked him in the groin. As he fell over, Astrid dropped the handle of her axe onto his chest, making him grunt in pain.

"I will _never_ be your wife."

Astrid then glared at all her _friends_ : the people that she had spent the last five years of her life with. She thought that they would be better comrades in the long run, but now, as she stood there in the middle of the ring, she realized that Hiccup was the only true friend she has ever had.

"You should _all_ be ashamed!" she screamed.

Snotlout made an effort to stand up, but ended up staying on the ground. "To be fair, babe, you were the one that kind of drove him off in the first place. So-"

Snotlout was cut off by a fist to his face. He spun on his butt before collapsing out cold. Astrid quickly turned on her heel and walked out of the training ring. She didn't care if she missed today's class.

* * *

 _What else could there possibly be to do?_ thought Hiccup. He's already seen his former home and chosen his side. He's mastered his newfound skills, and he knows exactly how he will handle the dragon raids. When the time comes, Hiccup is going to do his best to stay away from the ground fighting and use the element of stealth to his advantage.

Death lead Hiccup down the same long hallway and stopped in front of the same door where he received his training. Hiccup was confused because he thought that he was finished with the transfer of knowledge. But he noticed that Death's left hand turned into the bones that he had felt on his head the first day they met. He inserted his index finger into the strange keyhole and the crystal doorknob glowed a dark purple before fading back into the clear crystal it once was. Death opened the door and gestured for Hiccup to step inside.

Upon stepping inside, Hiccup noticed that the room had changed. It was no longer the same bare room with two chairs in the middle with an elliptical ceiling. Instead, the room contained intricate statues. In the different corners of the room stood statues of the Angel of Death. On the left wall were various tall cases containing clothing of styles that Hiccup had never seen before. The styles of each one were different: varying in color, appearance, and texture. Behind the glass of each case contained a full body outfit that was worn by a stone mannequin. Hanging next to each outfit was a different mask that matched the style of the outfit.

On the right-hand wall were several more glass cases. Instead of clothing, each case contained a different weapon. Hiccup recognized some weapons, since Vikings used some of these weapons, but some other weapons were of a kind that Hiccup had never seen before. As Hiccup stepped further into the room, he felt as if there were more entities in the room than just him and Death. Hiccup could sense different auras and thought that he even heard some whispers around each of the cases.

"What is this place?" Hiccup asked.

"Every descendant has passed through this place. It is a sacred place that can only be seen by the successors. It is here where personalities are recognized. It is here where you choose how you are represented."

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"Look at me, Hiccup." Hiccup turned around to look upon Death. He took note on how Death, in his human form, looked much different than he had previously appeared. He wore a black hood with a black tunic underneath a white robe. He had a black belt that was tied several times around his waist and he had grey pants with tall black boots. He wore leather gauntlets with several buckles near his forearms. His over all appearance radiated a strange feeling. It was something that Hiccup had not felt since he befriended Toothless. It was _hope_.

"You look at me, and you see who I once was." Death then gestured to himself before saying, "This is who I once was. I was a protector in my former life. I lived to serve my people. And my human manifestation is represented through this outfit. You feel something don't you?"

Hiccup nodded.

"You feel hope. I was once a figure of hope. I was a symbol to my people that inspired hope throughout the masses. I wore this outfit when I was alive because when I came to this place, I discovered that my personality revolved around bravery, loyalty, and hope."

"I still don't understand," Hiccup replied.

Death waved his arms around the room.

"When you come here, you realize who you are. You choose attire and weapons that you will carry for the rest of your life. It will be a representation of who you are and what you stand for. We all appear as our first predecessor when we guard the gates. We are the same skeleton in torn up robes. But it is how we appear in human form that shows who we are," Death said, as he looked Hiccup in the eye.

Hiccup was still confused. How could clothes represent who you are? They were just clothes after all. They could be easily replaced and mended.

"Follow me. You will understand soon enough," Death said as he walked towards the first case. Inside was a dark black robe. It had designs on the side that were painted in red. The mask was metallic. Its eyes were red and a snarl was carved into the face.

"This is for those who represent hopelessness. It is for those who are merciless and strike fear into the hearts of everyone. It is the representation of terror."

As Hiccup stared into the eyes of the mask, he felt as if his soul was burning. It was at that moment that Hiccup understood what this place was. He finally understood what Death meant when he said that each one represented personalities. Feeling as if he would die, Hiccup quickly looked away from the mask.

"Yeah, not for me. Next one."

As they cycled through all the different outfits, Hiccup didn't feel any connection to any of them. They were all too much for him. Hiccup wasn't brave, he wasn't fierce, and he definitely wasn't scary. He was starting to fear that none of them would fit him. But then they reached the final one.

It was a complex outfit. The top consisted of two layers of clothing. The first layer was brown leather with a scaly texture while the second layer was a thicker black leather with several buckles that held it together. The shoulder pads were also black and on the right hand shoulder was a red painting of what appeared to be a dragon. The forearm had a sheath for a small dagger and the torso contained several pockets that were held by black buckles. The pants also consisted of brown leather with loops that appeared to be armholes. The mask had spikes that ran from the forehead to the top of the head, the areas that would cover the mouth had slits that were most likely used for easy breathing, and the eye holes were slits with a black cloth that allowed the wearer to see through the holes, but could not be seen through from the outside.

"This outfit is represents innovation. It is for those who possess great strength in their brains and rely on their creativity."

As Hiccup stared at the outfit in front of him, he felt drawn to it. The clothes that he was wearing now felt unnatural as he looked at the armor. Without his consent, his right hand lifted and pulled him towards the glass case. It felt as if he was approaching Toothless for the first time: scared and unsure. As he inched closer and closer, he noticed the glass disappear before his eyes and a gust of wind rushed past him. When the palm of his hand made contact with the chest piece of the armor, Hiccup felt a sudden jolt run through his hand and radiate throughout his entire body.

With his hand still resting on the armor, Hiccup looked down again at the mask beside him. He thought he heard whispers as he stared into the black fabric that covered the eyes of the wearer.

"Do you hear that?" he asked, turning to Death.

"No. But if you hear it, then it has _chosen_ you."

Hiccup reluctantly reached for the mask. When his hand was mere inches away from the top of the mask, a sudden gust of black smoke engulfed Hiccup. When it finally dissipated, the armor was no longer on the stone mannequin in the glass case and the mask no longer rested on the stone boulder. Hiccup raised his hands and was shocked to find that he was wearing the armor now. And he felt stronger than he ever had in his life. The way the leather contorted to the shape of his body allowed him to be more agile than he could ever be with his old tunic and wool pants. The various compartments for different materials inside the chest piece would allow him to store different things he would need.

Hiccup felt connected to it.

"You feel it don't you?" Death asked. "The power that is surging through your body. It's almost too much, isn't it?"

Hiccup nodded his head in agreement.

Death smirked with a light chuckle.

"Wait, if I have the armor, and the glass case is empty, then where is the-"

"Look down, Hiccup," Death said as he crossed his arms and nodded to the floor.

Resting at his feet was the black and brown mask. It looked like it was staring up at him. He picked it up and stared into its eyes for a few more seconds before hastily pulling it over his head. From the looks of it, Hiccup thought it would be uncomfortable and heavy. After all, his vision would be obscured from the cloth and the metal pieces would weigh him down. But as he opened his eyes and looked through, Hiccup felt as if he could see everything. He was aware of everything in front of him: every crack in the wall, every torch on the wall, and the tiny smudges that the smoke had left on the glass. He could see _everything_. He also saw Death grin.

"Good," he said, "Now lets get your weapon."

Death walked past him as he removed the mask. The clarity of his vision from under the mask was still retained even after he took it off. Hiccup was amazed.

As he walked over to the other side of the room, he took note of the different weapons in the cases. They all had different designs painted on them, no doubt to represent what they also stood for, and were composed of materials Hiccup hadn't seen before in his life.

Death gestured to the first weapon, which was a hammer. "The War Hammer. It relies on brute strength to overcome its enemies."

He then moved on to the next weapon, which was a bow. It had a dark handle made of a different kind of wooden material. "The Bow. Those who wield it fight from afar. They are careful to stay away from their fights."

The next one was a sword, then a shield, then a spear, and then strange curved sword that Hiccup had never seen before. It was quite obvious that it was a sword, considering that it had a handle and a tall blade, but it was strange in that it was curved and was sharp on one side. It intrigued Hiccup quite a bit.

"The Katana. An ingenious sword made through fine craftsmanship. It is for those who rely on their brains to outsmart their enemy."

Hiccup felt the same draw to this sword. As he reached out to it, the glass disappeared as it did when he reached out to his armor. His hand was shaking when he grabbed the handle of the sword. As he lifted it from its case, Hiccup felt another connection being formed with this weapon. It was no longer an object that he held in his hand, but rather it was an extension of his arm: a limb that he was aware of and could control with ease. As he flicked the katana around, he noticed that the scripture on the side of the handle glowed a bright purple before fading away.

"What was that?" he asked.

"It is the way the weapon bonded to you. It cannot be wielded by anyone but you. Even I cannot wield it," Death responded.

As he performed some moves with the weapon, Hiccup noticed a sheath appear on his back. It was not loose as he expected it to be. Instead it felt attached to him. Hiccup lifted the sword behind his head and sheathed the sword on his back. _Toothless is going to be in for a surprise_ , he thought to himself.

"And that's it!" Death said as he waved his arms in the air like a celebration. "You are finally done with your training. I told you that you would have to pick your side. And now I must tell you that I will not help you in what you do. From this moment on, I will only make contact with you when it is necessary or you feel the need to. You will have to find your own place to live in and must find a way to sustain yourself."

"From what I can do now, I'm pretty sure I'll be able to manage," Hiccup said with a chuckle.

Death grabbed his wrist with a serious expression on his face.

"Make no mistake, Hiccup. In their world, it's kill or be killed. In their eyes, you have sided with the dragons, and that makes you the enemy. They will not hesitate to kill you. So I can only warn you."

Hiccup knew that the Vikings were ruthless, but there was no way they could be that bad. Right?

"Good luck, Hiccup. We will meet again."

And with that, the entire scenery in front of Hiccup was engulfed in black smoke as everything around him changed from stonewalls and torches to trees and moonlight. Hiccup heard a warble come from behind him and he quickly spun around with his hand on the hilt of his sword. He quickly eased when he found that it was just Toothless that was surprised by his master's appearance.

Hiccup smiled before saying, "Toothless!"

Hiccup felt a rush of relief at the sight of his best friend. His _only_ friend. He ran over to Toothless and embraced his head in a hug. "Boy, am I glad to see you bud."

Toothless purred into Hiccup's chest before giving him a big lick from his chest to his face.

"Argh Toothless! These are new clothes!"

The night fury tilted his head in confusion at his master's words. Hiccup laughed and gestured to himself before spinning around. "What do you think, bud? Pretty cool, huh?"

Toothless cooed as if he were agreeing. Hiccup looked around at his surroundings. He was in a place that appeared to be a cove. There were trees by the cliffs of the walls surrounding and there was a small lake in the middle of the cove. Something about this place seemed very familiar to Hiccup. He just couldn't quite figure it out. He walked around to investigate some more, but it was too dark for him to see anything despite the full moon. Then he remembered his mask. If it had enhanced his vision before, would it be able to enhance his vision now? Hiccup picked up his mask from the floor and pulled it over his head. Sure enough, the entire cove was much more visible. Hiccup could easily see every detail despite the darkness.

He noticed several boulders all around the place. There was a gigantic tree on one of the walls that had roots that were spilling into the cove. As he searched for an entrance, he noticed some burn marks on the ground and a broken tree branch. _Dragons must have been here_ , he thought. Then something metallic caught his attention. Something circular was wedged in the entrance of the cove. It had a metallic center that was surrounded by wood. It was a shield. A shield that was stuck in the entrance of the cove. Realization hit Hiccup.

It was the shield that he had brought with him when he went to see the dragon. This was the cove he had befriended Toothless in. This was the cove that he left from. This cove was on Berk. _He_ was on Berk. Death had brought him _home_. Hiccup scoffed at the word. _Home. Not anymore_ , he thought before walking over to Toothless. By that time, he had noticed smoke coming from somewhere far from the cove. It was, no doubt, the village and there were parts of it that were on fire. There must be a dragon raid. As he climbed onto Toothless and latched himself on, he patted his head and said, "Come on bud, we got some work to do."

* * *

Astrid woke up from the jolt of a nearby explosion. It was a cold night, but she was covered in sweat. She was having the same damn nightmare again. It was the same every night. Hiccup would be staring down at her and he would be saying the words that she said that day. She would try to apologize to him, but no words would come out of her mouth. Then a dragon would carry her off.

Astrid looked outside her window to see what was going on. Sure enough, there was a Hideous Zippleback setting her neighbor's house on fire. Astrid threw the covers off of her and put on her spiked skirt and shoulder pads. She grabbed her axe from the corner of her room and ran through the door. The dragon raid was already in full action when she got outside. Monstrous Nighmares were fighting Vikings, Zipplebacks were destroying houses, and Deadly Nadders were flying off with sheep and cattle. She swung at one of the Nadders as it flew off, but the dragon was out of her reach and she missed entirely.

She suddenly heard the high-pitched noise that no one has heard since the disappearance of Hiccup.

"NIGHT FURY!" someone shouted. "GET DOWN!"

The plasma blast from the Night Fury hit one of the catapults, which collapsed onto another catapult. Another plasma blast hit the cage of the dragon-training ring. Astrid could have sworn that she saw the shadow of a dragon enter the ring. She looked around for her friends to get support, but they were all caught up in their own dragon issues. Fishlegs was running from a Gronckle, Snotlout was "fighting" a Nightmare, and the twins were trying to spear the heads of Zipplebacks.

Astrid quickly ran to the dragon-training ring, determined to take down whatever dragon had entered the ring. She gripped her handle of her axe in both hands before screaming her battle cry as she ran in through the gate. But what she saw made her drop her axe. A Night Fury was on the ground in the dragon-ring. She recognized the wings that beat down on her the day Hiccup was taken. It was the dragon that took Hiccup away from her, away from the village. She stood there, unable to move. The dragon must have sense her presence because it turned its head towards her and growled.

She heard a faint voice that sounded as if it were coming from the Night Fury itself. But then she saw _it_. The man that stood next to the Night Fury. He was dressed in strange armor and wore a mask that seemed to strike her soul. The dragon rider saw her and stared at her before getting up. She realized that he was trying to free the dragons. He motioned for the dragon to back away. The Night Fury quickly burned through the logs that held the gates closed which, in turn, released all of the dragons.

The man stared at her through his mask. She couldn't see his eyes, but she knew that he was staring right at her. It felt like he was staring into her soul. His entire demeanor was menacing. He was about to say something, but was suddenly interrupted by a yell from the gate of the dragon-ring. Astrid turned around only to see Snotlout charging into the arena with the rest of the teens behind him. By the time she turned back around, the intruder was gone.

"What the hell was that?" Snotlout cried out.

"Yeah, Astrid? What was that?" Ruff asked as well.

"It was a Night Fury," she said, her voice a little softer than she would have liked.

She coughed and stood straight before saying, "Someone was riding it. We need to tell the chief about this." She turned on her heel and walked to the Great Hall where she knew the chief would be. She had never seen a dragon rider before. Who in the right mind would ally themselves with the dragons? Our _enemy_. But the thought that bothered Astrid the most was that the dragon rider appeared after Hiccup was taken. From the looks of it, he was about as tall as Hiccup was when he left. Could it be that- _No!_ Astrid thought to herself. _That's ridiculous. Hiccup would never be able to do that. He was taken. He was gone. There is no way that he could be that… that thing_.

 **READ! So what'd you guys think? Still okay? Anyways, I just wanted to let you guys in on some things. If you couldn't already tell, Hiccup's suit is the one from HTTYD 2 (God I love that suit). If you want to know what I visualized Death's white robes to look like, then search "Starkiller Jedi Robes" on Google images. I think that it looks really cool. And I don't know why, but I think that Hiccup with a katana on his back would be a complete badass. Thanks guys!**


	4. Chapter 4

"Yes! Yes! We did it bud! We did it!" Hiccup shouted as he pumped his fist in the air. Hiccup considered the first raid a success since he was able to release all the dragons. They were still flying by the time the sun rose. They still didn't have a place to stay.

"What do you say bud? Should we land somewhere?" Hiccup asked as he patted Toothless's head. The dragon cooed in response. Out of the corner of Hiccup's eye, he spotted a tall mountain. It was tall with several openings around the sides. They were all too small, however, for Toothless to fit through. Hiccup steered Toothless to the island and noticed a large opening at the top of the mountain.

"Through there, Toothless," he said as he pointed to the opening. The Night Fury shot into the opening at the top of the mountain before landing. The inside of the mountain had a hollowed out area that let them move around freely. As he stepped got off Toothless, he looked around the area. He noticed several tunnels that lead into different parts of the mountain. The entire place was a ginormous cave complex. The small opening on the side let in sunlight from the outside, which illuminated the entire area. In one of the tunnels, Hiccup could hear a waterfall with fresh water.

"This could work. We can make this work, bud. The only way into the place is from the top and it's pretty well hidden, if I don't say so myself. It's not too far from Berk either." Hiccup said as he removed his mask and placed it on the floor. Toothless warbled in response.

"I must say, Hiccup. That was a close one," a voice said. Hiccup turned around with his sword out to confront the intruder. But all he saw was Death leaning against one of the walls and staring right at him with a smirk on his face.

"A close one? That was amazing! I let the dragons out!" Hiccup responded as he sheathed his sword.

"You were caught. You were almost captured. One of _them_ saw you," Death said with a snarl.

"Yeah, maybe I was. But come on, they didn't even get close to me. I scared Astrid, for crying out loud!"

Hiccup remembered the look on Astrid's face at the sight of them. Her face completely fell when she saw them. She even dropped her axe. _I should have said something,_ he thought. Hiccup felt a maddening sense of power from the sight of her. For the first time ever, he felt in control. He even felt like sticking around the fight off Snotlout, but Toothless wanted to leave.

"That may be. But what if they catch you? What will happen to you then?"

Hiccup sighed and turned around to look at the various tunnels within the cave.

"Why did you come here, Death?"

Death looked around the cave complex and gave a nod of approval.

"This is a good place, Hiccup. You could survive here. It has everything you need, from what I can see. There is wood outside, freshwater, hot water in the lower caves, and well fortified walls."

"You didn't answer my question."

Death walked turned around to face Hiccup. "I came to tell you that there will be another dragon raid tomorrow." He then pointed a finger at him. "I expect you to be better prepared. Do not let anyone sneak up on you. If they catch you, then you'll have to figure out how to survive in their hands. Otherwise, I will have to do what I must to get you out of there, and I guarantee that you won't like it."

Hiccup's eyes narrowed at what Death was insinuating.

"Good luck." And with that, Death dissipated into smoke.

Hiccup walked through the tunnels while Toothless remained in the main room that connected all the tunnels. It was far too dark in the tunnels for any person to see, but Hiccup's vision was so enhanced that everything was a clear as day to him.

He took a piece of parchment that he held in his chest pocket as well as a charcoal pencil. Hiccup began mapping the different tunnels of the cave. He found that one of the tunnels lead to a small waterfall that poured into a pool. The water was cold, but fresh. In another tunnel, Hiccup found a room that was roughly the size of the main entrance. The only difference, however, was that tis room did not have any entrances nor windows. It could keep cool in the summer and warm in the winter. On his map, Hiccup marked "Bedroom."

As he hung some torches around the room, that he packed before he left, he noticed another tunnel that led to a different area. The tunnel winded down a few hundred feet until he met a natural spring that had steam coming from the pool. Hiccup dipped his hand into the water and found that the water was naturally warm and left the air of the room humid and warm. On his map, he marked "Bathroom."

 _This could work_ , he thought as he made his way back up to his room. Once he reached the main entrance of the mountain, he motioned for Toothless to come into the room. The day had been a long day for the both of them and they could both use some rest. Toothless wrapped Hiccup in his wings before they both fell into a peaceful sleep.

* * *

"Chief! You have to believe us! That _thing_ was riding the Night Fury. We _saw_ the Night Fury!" Astrid yelled. The village was gathered in the Great Hall after the raid. The teens had rushed into the Hall and ran to Stoick. News of this magnitude could not be taken lightly. "It was the dragon that took _Hiccup!"_

Murmurs and whispers spread throughout the crows. Some of them were whispering about the sighting of a night fury while others were whispering about the disappearance of the runt. Astrid didn't know why she was infuriated when people spoke of Hiccup in that manner. It's not like he was useful in any way.

"That's not possible! Humans cannot ride dragons! The dragons kill people and take what's not theirs!"

Stoick had completely ignored the fact that it was the dragon that took Hiccup. Something told Astrid that he was ignoring it on purpose.

"Chief, he controls the dragons. I saw it with my own eyes! But he'll be an easy fight. He's too skinny and he's a coward for running off!" Snotlout yelled, which caused some shouts of agreement in the crowd.

"You saw it too, Snotlout?" Stoick asked.

"Aye. He wore a leather suit and a mask that covered his face. He's a coward Stoick! I'll take him down!" he responded as he raised his hammer.

More shouts of approval and cheering arose in the crowd. From the corner of her eye, Astrid saw Spitelout grinning from pride. She hated the Jorgensons. They were always so cocky and arrogant. They were self-centered, selfish, and quite stupid. Snotlout never took a hint that Astrid wanted nothing to do with him. If he _ever_ offered a marriage contract to her, then she would personally break every bone in his body.

He was the complete opposite of his cousin. Hiccup was kind, caring, and attentive. She would never admit this to _anyone_ , but when she was younger and was so infatuated in her crush on him, she would take any opportunity to go and visit the forge. She would take any weapon with her so that he could sharpen it and she could watch him. She remembered purposefully dulling her axe so that he would need to sharpen it.

"Wow, Astrid. You really did a number on this," he said.

"Yeah, do you think that you can fix it?" she asked.

He looked up to her and smiled. His smile felt like sunshine on her heart.

"Of course! Anyone for the greatest warrior of this generation!" he said as he turned around to start sharpening the axe. Astrid was glad he turned around otherwise he would see her blush. He was too kind. She wished more than anything that he would be accepted into her group.

"Thanks, Hiccup. You're not so bad yourself," she said with a chuckle. She saw his shoulders drop and she could tell that the smile he had on his face had fallen as well.

"I wish," he muttered. It crushed her heart. She wanted to say something, to comfort him, but what could she do? She barely knew him. But from what she could tell, he was the kindest person that she had ever met. She wished they could be something. She wanted to tell him; she _really_ wanted to. But her mouth refused to open and before she knew it, he gave her back her axe. She no longer had any excuse to stick around any longer.

"Bye, Astrid," he said with a sad expression on his face.

"Bye, Hiccup."

* * *

After the whole discussion about this mysterious dragon rider, the Great Hall had quickly emptied. The only people left were Gobber and Astrid. Astrid was sitting at a table staring into the cracks in the wood while Gobber was strapping on his leg. He limped over to her before sitting down.

"What's on 'yer mind Astrid?"

Astrid looked up to see her teacher sitting in front of her. No point in lying.

"I was just thinking about _him._ "

"Who? Snotlout?" he asked. Gobber really knew who she was talking about, but he had to be sure.

"No… I mean _him_."

"Oh… Why?"

Astrid's expression immediately hardened, but Gobber could see something in her eyes: _guilt_.

"Why? Why do you think? Maybe it's because I drove him off? Maybe because it's my fault that he's no longer here?"

"Astrid, it's not completely-"

"No Gobber it is!" she yelled as she stood out of her chair, "It's all my fault! I hate it whenever someone speaks lowly of him, but now I know that I'm no different from them! It was my fault he left and it's my fault he's _gone_!" she said as she fell back into her chair with her head cradled in her hands.

"Astrid… Even if he's gone, I know for a fact that he wouldn't blame you. He's too kind of a person for that sort of thing, and I think you know it," he said as he stood up, "I best be off now, I'll see you tomorrow, lass."

Astrid didn't even look up to bid him goodbye. She just sat there thinking about what he had said. She heard the giant doors of the Great Hall shut. She was alone now. _He's too kind of a person_ , he had said. _Of course he is. He's so much…better than the rest of us_ , she thought. If only she had told him that before he… _died_. That was the first time Astrid had ever thought of him to be dead. Soon enough, a river of tears was flowing down Astrid's cheeks.

* * *

The following night, there was another dragon raid. It was highly unusual to have two dragon raids occur the day after one, but the Vikings must take precautions, nonetheless. The entire village was already up and about; they were around the village putting out fires and fighting off the dragons. The other teens were also _trying_ to fight the dragons. They wanted to kill one before any of the others could. She saw the Chief and some of the other warriors in the middle of the village, assessing the dragon raid.

"What do we got?" Stoick asked.

"Nadders, Gronckles, Zipplebacks, and Hoark saw a Monsterous Nightmare," one of them said.

"Any Night Furies?"

"No."

Stoick sighed in relief. "Good." He saw Astrid watching them and immediately met her with a fierce glare. He was obviously still unforgiving about what she had done.

"What are you staring at, Astrid?! Get out there and protect your village!" he barked. Astrid quickly bolted and ran to the other side of the village so that she wouldn't have to face Stoick again. She wondered if he would ever forgive her for what she did. From the looks of things so far, the answer was a no. Astrid wondered if she would see the dragon rider again. Obviously, she could not see behind the mask, but she felt something strange around the rider: something _familiar_. It was as if he was emitting and aura of _something_.

Just then, she heard some clattering in the forge. She wondered who would be in the forge. Gobber was out fighting and he had no other apprentice. She assumed that a dragon must have snuck in, so she removed her axe from her back and got into a fighting stance. What she saw inside almost made her drop her axe. The same rider was in there. _He_ was taking things. She could tell that it was a man from the looks of him. He was still wearing his mask, but he had no _curves_ that a woman would have.

She was speechless. Astrid was frozen in the ground. She couldn't bring herself to say anything. She just watched him. Suddenly, the rider perked his head up as if sensing something was aloof. He slowly turned his head around and she saw the black covers on his eyeholes again. She could feel the burn of his gaze through his mask. Quite frankly, it terrified her. The rider just stood there, staring at her. He was doing nothing. She didn't know why she couldn't move. Was it because of fear or was it because of something more mysterious? She didn't have time to ponder on it because his head suddenly snapped to something behind her. She turned around to see Snotlout approaching with a determined expression on his face.

"Dragon Rider!" he yelled while pointing his hammer at him. Astrid looked back to the rider and saw that he had made no move.

"You have controlled these dragons long enough! Return what you have taken! And _maybe_ you will get a trial!" Snotlout boomed. His voice had caught some attention from the Vikings who weren't fighting. They all saw the Dragon Rider, and they were all just as scared as she was. The rider jumped over the windowsill of the forge and stood straight. He said nothing at all. He looked over his shoulder and made a strange noise. He then turned back to Snotlout and unsheathed his sword from his back.

It was a sword that no one had ever seen before. It was so intricately designed and so carefully crafted. Astrid could tell that this man knew how to fight. Snotlout charged at the man with his hammer raised. The rider quickly sidestepped and cut the hammer in half all in one swift motion. The quickness and fluidity of his action shocked Astrid. Never before in her life had she seen such skill. Even Snotlout was dumbfounded. _He'll be easy_ , he said.

The rider quickly lunged towards Snotlout and gave him a series of hard punches, that all made Snotlout quiver. He then fell over: knocked out. The rest of the Vikings had rushed over to see what had happened. Stoick stopped in his tracks when he saw the sight in front of him: the heir of Berk at the feet of the very man that Astrid had warned him about. They all quickly surrounded him to prevent his escape. He had not shifted one bit at the sight of the new threat. He simply sheathed his sword and lifted his arm up. Out of nowhere, the Night Fury swept him up. And then they were gone.

* * *

The Great Hall was silent, despite that the entire village had crowded inside. After an eternity of silence, Stoick finally spoke up.

"As we have all seen tonight, the rumors have been confirmed. We are dealing with a new enemy: one that we have never faced before. Alvin the Treacherous is no longer public enemy number one. The _Dragon Master_ is now public enemy number one and is to be killed if seen. This man is dangerous and relentless. He will kill you on sight."

Astrid knew that the last sentence wasn't true. The Dragon Master hadn't attacked her at all and he only attacked Snotlout since he had attacked him. Even then, he didn't leave Snotlout with any serious injuries. But she decided it would be best not to express her opinion.

After the shouts of worry, anger, and fear that usually came with any announcement of a new enemy, the Great Hall quickly emptied leaving only Stoick and his closest dignitaries. As she got ready to walk out, Stoick stopped her. He glared daggers down at her.

"I heard what you did when you saw him, Astrid. You're a _coward_."

She flinched at the words he said. Being called a coward was one of the worst insults anyone could receive, especially if it came from the chief: the man she had admired for his skills as a fighter and a leader. She couldn't help but wonder if this was what Hiccup experienced every day. Without another word, the chief and his dignitaries walked out. Spitelout met her with a glare, Gobber looked at her with sympathy, and the rest didn't chose to acknowledge her; not even her own father.

She stood there in place for a good five minutes after they left. Then she fell to her knees and sobbed for what felt like the millionth time since _he_ left.

* * *

Snotlout was out cold for three days. Nothing much had passed in the days he had been out, besides dragon raids with their new enemy riding with them. Snolout awoke in Gothi's hut with a pounding on his head. He tried to remember what happened. There had been a dragon raid, and Astrid had just all of a sudden stopped in her tracks, and then he saw _him_. Snotlout snorted in disgust. Snotlout saw the Dragon Master and immediately thought that Astrid would need the help of her future husband. Well, at least she will be. It was going to be his time to shine in front of her. It infuriated him how the Dragon Master hadn't quivered or flinched at his threats. It infuriated him even more at how he was able to side step him with such swiftness. And then before he knew it, everything was black.

It was an embarrassing moment in his life. He had been beaten in less than thirty seconds by a _dragon sympathizer_ who was skinny and lanky. Snotlout should have been able to snap that twig in two. Oh Gods and _Astrid_ had been there. She had seen him get his ass handed to him. He'll just have to show more affection to her in order to make it up. As he lay there, he wondered what would happen if _Hiccup_ would have encountered the Dragon Master.

Snotlout scoffed. His cousin would surely be killed before he could even make a sarcastic remark about the whole situation. Snotlout hated his cousin for many reasons. But he hated him the most because he saw how Astrid looked at him. He refused to believe it for a few years. _Why would Astrid Hofferson want Hiccup when she could get all the Viking she could with me?_ he had thought. Every time he tried to flirt with Astrid, she would just look at him in disgust and shrug off his shoulder. Maybe she might throw in a twisted wrist. But every time Hiccup was around, even when he was screwing everything up as usual, he saw something light up in her eyes that were often accompanied by a smile. He hated his cousin so much for that.

Snotlout was glad his cousin was dead.

0000

A week had passed since the first appearance of the Dragon Master. Ever since he had shown up, not a single dragon had been killed. Anger had arisen throughout the entire village at their failed attempts to capture him. Astrid heard one of the Vikings compare him to a bar of soap. The Dragon Master was slippery and easily got out of any situation. In that short week, rumors had arisen about him. Some claimed that he was a devil who was sent to Earth to rain havoc on anything it touches. Others claimed that he wasn't a being at all, but rather a manifestation of energy. Astrid rolled her eyes at all of them. She knew he was a man; she had seen him first.

But still, the way he fought and the way he seemed to predict everything was almost… _inhuman._ As she walked through the Great Hall to sit with her "friends," she could hear the Vikings speaking of the Dragon Master at their tables. At the chief's table, she could hear Gobber ranting on about him. Strangely enough, Gobber had taken an interest into their new enemy. Not so much of hatred, but of intrigue. He was fascinated by the man's work with metals and leather.

When Gobber had first seen him, he was shocked by his appearance: what with the leather suit and the "magical" sword, Gobber became determined to figure out the man's secrets in the smithy. He had spent almost the entire week trying to replicate the Dragon Master's sword. It seemed that Gobber was the only person in the village who wasn't afraid of the Dragon Master. She could hear him talking about him right now.

"I tell ye! This man is a fearsome dog who feeds off trouble and turmoil. I've seen him fight through the best of us as if it were nothing! Fighting like the devil, dressed as a man. And he's smart! Knows his way around every crack and crevice of this island," he said as he gestured around with the chicken that was stuck on his fake hand. A lot of the other Vikings in the Great Hall had gathered around him to hear his stories about the Dragon Master.

Spitelout simply grumbled and crossed his arms together, no doubt still disappointed in his son, and Stoick just stared at his chicken in silence.

She finally took a seat across from the other teens. She couldn't even consider them her friend's anymore. Not after what they had done, what they had _all_ done. Tuffnut and Ruffnut were talking about what they wanted to do to the Dragon Master, Snotlout was staring at the ground with his arm in his sling, and Fishlegs was fidgeting with the edges of the Book of Dragons. Astrid was happy none of them had spoken to her. She was not in the mood for talking, _especially_ if it were Snotlout. She had recently overheard her parents talking about the possibility of marrying her off to Snotlout. She nearly puked all over the walls when she heard that. But luckily, the frequent dragon raids had taken their minds off of it.

Speaking of dragon raids, "DRAGONS!" she heard someone scream. The entire hall quickly stood up and grabbed their weapons. They all made a beeline towards the entrance in order to get into their positions as quickly as possible. Astrid had her axe out, not that she would use it. The Dragon Master made sure of that. By the time they had gotten outside, the Dragon master had already destroyed all of their newly built catapults. She heard several Vikings curse at him.

In the heat of the moment, she noticed the black shadow land somewhere close to the forest. _Now is my chance,_ she thought. She tightened her hold onto her axe and sprinted to the forest: the place where she had chased Hiccup in. She felt her heart drop like a stone in the water, but she had to push those emotions away for now. She slowed down when she had finally reached the tree line. She lowered herself so that she could sneak around. Surely he wouldn't see her coming. But as she got deeper into the forest, she felt as if she were making a huge mistake. She thought she saw his shadow in front of her. So she lunged at it with her axe ready. As she got closer, it turned out that all she saw was a large rock. She scoffed. "Idiot," she murmured. This whole idea was stupid. She should be back in the village, protecting them from the dragons.

But as she sheathed her axe and turned around, she felt her breath catch in her throat. There he was, standing a good twelve feet away from her. He was just staring at her, not making any move as she turned around. She quickly reached for her axe, but heard the Night Fury growl from somewhere in the trees. Realizing that she was cornered, she slowly put her hand down at her side. The Dragon Master just stared at her for what felt like an eternity. She couldn't see his face, but she could tell that behind his mask was a look of disgust. Astrid could just see it. If she were to be completely honest, it frightened her. It frightened her _a lot_.

Finally, she decided to ask, "W-What are you?" She mentally cursed herself for the stutter. She only looked weaker now, but it's not like it really mattered anymore. She was going to die and she knew it. After what felt like _another_ eternity, she was about to speak up before he interrupted.

She heard him silently start chuckling to himself. It sent chills down her spine. When he finally stopped, he said one word that almost made her collapse.

"I suppose I'm the enemy." His voice was demonic and sounded forced. But for some reason she found his voice slightly familiar.

And then he was gone. She looked to the sky and saw the black dragon flying away with a _demon_ on its back.


	5. Chapter 5

**So here's quick little update about my stories in general. I'm going to have to change my update schedule to every two weeks instead of one. I've realized that I'm rushing a bit too much, especially in A New Kind of Different, and I just want to take that extra week to regroup and edit chapters some more. I want the best story that I can possibly give you guys! So quick recap, updates will now be every two weeks. I know I said I would be updating ANKOD on Sunday, but instead, I'll just upload a modern AU one shot in its place.**

 **Also to clear up some confusion that The Burning Caterpillar had. Basically, yes, I'm using the idea of a host. But not entirely like the host you might think of. The actual person is still in control even while they have the powers of death, which is why they spend so much time looking for perfect host to take the last one's place. So basically, even when Hiccup will take the host's place, he will still be himself. He will still be the sarcastic, kind, rebellious viking that we all know and love! So no, the hosts don't necessarily always become evil. It's just that after observing humanity for so long, they tend to point out the flaws and their shortcomings. (And we'll see more of the last guy's background later into the story. Might even have a one-shot based off of his previous life.) And also, the comparison with Avatar, I have honestly never thought of that before. But now that you mention it, it's like the exact same thing! Haha, I never saw that one coming! Thanks for the reviews and I hope everyone enjoys this chapter!**

Chapter 5: Five Years Later

It was a joke at first: a foolish idea that was produced from alcohol and late nights. Ever since the Dragon Master first appeared, everything seemed to take a turn for the worse. They started to lose dragons they captured, catapults were destroyed all the time, ships were blown up, etc. It was chaotic. The only thing that struck Astrid as odd was the fact that _no one_ had died since he appeared. She would never dare to say this, but in a way, he was kind of like an anti-hero.

She had seen him a few times since the first night he came. She would actually go out _looking_ for him in the middle of a dragon raid. She wasn't even sure why, she just had to. And she found him most of the times. As she would run off to where she saw the night fury land, she would always give herself a small pep talk. _This time. This time for sure_. But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't do anything or say anything when she confronted him.

Astrid remembers catching him freeing dragons from their cages one night. She had chosen to sneak up on him this time since charging clearly didn't work on him, as he had clearly proved when he made a fool of Snotlout. The sight was strange. He released all of the dragons from their cages and they all flew through the hole in the metallic bars on top of the ring. But one of the dragons, a Nightmare in particular, stayed behind and actually started to nuzzle into the rider.

Her jaw dropped at the sight. Nightmares were some of the most violent dragons that Berk had ever seen. And yet here was a Monstrous Nightmare _nuzzling_ into the rider like some domesticated animal.

But then something suddenly changed, the Nightmare suddenly started to growl and stare in her direction. Apparently her sneak approach didn't work at all. The Nightmare began to crawl towards her. But when the Dragon Master turned around and saw her, he motioned for the Nightmare to stop. It obeyed him, as all the other dragons did, before flying off into the night sky. The Master just stared at her. His gaze always seemed to turn her to stone. She couldn't take her eyes off of him and she couldn't move. She felt fear. She felt a cold, chilling, feeling in the pit of her stomach that seemed to make her feel like she was dying. They stood like that for what felt like years before his dragon nudged him in the side. He jumped at the contact as if he was awoken from a dream. He hesitantly looked backed at her before shaking his head and flying off into the night sky with his dragon.

As she watched him fly away, the only thing she could think about were the words he said that fateful night, _The enemy._

Besides the newfound enemy of Berk, nothing had really changed. Stoick was rarely seen unless he needed to perform a chiefly duty and was never enthusiastic to see any of the Berkian teens, Astrid still felt terrible about the loss of her long-time secret crush and former friend, and her "friends" still acted like nothing had happened.

She remembers when they were 18 and they were training in the dragon ring with the few dragons that were captured. Snotlout was boasting on about how he could take on any dragon that came his way. She scoffed at that. If he could take on any dragon, then why couldn't he take on the Dragon Master? Luckily, she wasn't the only one who shared this thought.

"Uh, Snotlout? Remember what happened when the Dragon Master totally owned you?" Ruff asked with an annoyed look. Ruffnut had become increasingly irritated with both Snotlout and Fishlegs since they had both started to take an appeal to her after Astrid basically declared her unavailability. When they were 16, Astrid had completely blocked anyone's advances on her; Berkians or not. One man from the Berserker tribe offered her family a marriage contract since she was "the most beautiful maiden on the island." He quickly sailed away with a broken nose and wrist.

After that day, no one had even _considered_ flirting with her. They all wondered what had gotten into her. But she knew. She knew that there was only one boy that she would ever want to be with. But he was gone, and she could never undo what she did. But that didn't mean that she would ever stop thinking about him.

Snotlout's face went crimson as he started to frown at Ruffnut's retort. "It was an off day! I bet you that I could snap him in half any other day!"

Astrid rolled her eyes. "Sure you can, Snotlout," she said sarcastically.

Snotlout turned to her before saying, "Save the sarcasm, Astrid. We all know who that characteristic belongs to. The little-"

 _Don't say it_.

"-useless-"

 _I'LL KILL YOU IF YOU SAY IT!_

"Hiccup: the boy that couldn't even kill a dragon. Good riddance."

And then she was upon him. She was pounding his face in with her fists, anger coursing through her veins.

"Don't you ever speak of him like that again!"

The twins had to pull her off; otherwise she might have killed him.

Snotlout had a concussion, broken nose, and several missing teeth. Everyone learned to never speak of Hiccup like that in front of Astrid. But they could never figure out why she was so sensitive about the subject.

As the years went by, the raids got worse and worse. They were losing weapons faster than they could build them. They tried giving the Dragon Master food, weapons, materials, money, and basically every other thing they could possibly think off.

But then an idea came to an overly drunk Spitelout. Ever since Hiccup was kil- _went missing_ , the chief and Spitelout had turned a cold shoulder to Astrid and the rest of the teens, except Snotlout of course since he is now heir. But Stoick resented Astrid the most and they all knew why.

So it was an idea, a joke really. But people become desperate. And after five years of torment, they would try anything. The village had decided to try and sacrifice a virgin to the Dragon Master. There was obviously some resistance at first.

"What if he's not even human!?"

"What if it's a woman?!"

But eventually, the all accepted the idea. And Stoick, being the chief, was given the task of deciding who would receive such a terrible fate. But Astrid knew exactly who he was going to chose. It took him a single _night_ to decide.

When he declared that she would be the sacrifice, she felt her heart sink. She looked back at her family for any sign of resistance or anger or _something_ , but she saw nothing. They didn't even meet her gaze. Astrid found out later that Stoick had offered them lifetime financial support in exchange for the life of their _only_ daughter. _So much for family love_ , she thought.

He explained to the village that she was best candidate since she was untouched and might be able to kill the Dragon Master since she is one of the best warriors on Berk. But everyone knew why he _really_ chose her. It was obvious. Stoick's cold shoulder to her specifically wasn't unheard of in the village's gossip.

She went through five stages of grief in that one week she was given.

Obviously, the first was shock and disbelief.

The next was resentment and anger. She broke her window so many times that they had to put bars over it to keep her from escaping.

Third came breakdowns and pleading. She remembered crying to her mother and father the entire night only to be met with silence.

Fourth became desperation. She broke her nails a few times trying to scratch the floorboards beneath her.

And lastly came acceptance. The only thought that kept her sanity was the fact that she would soon be with Hiccup. She only hoped that he would forgive her despite the years of torment. Maybe, just _maybe_ , he would be waiting for her in Valhalla so that they could finally be re-united as friends again, and maybe something _more_.

She didn't speak the entire time she was dressed in her "wedding gown." It was a dress that she had hoped to wear to her wedding, but now, it was just a reminder of what was to come. She could hear the elders around her giving her pieces of advice as they tied her hands together.

 _"Don't fight back until he's asleep."_

 _"It will hurt, but do not do anything to provoke him."_

 _"Just take it, and you will get used to it."_

That last one shook her entire body to the core. It was a reminder that she wasn't being sentenced to her death. No, she was being sentenced to a life of slavery. She cried for what felt like the millionth time that week. She didn't know how she even had any tears to spare.

They brought her out at the first sign of a dragon raid. Her friends hadn't even come to witness what was happening to her. The most she ever heard from them was, "Good luck," or "Give him hell."

The torches were hoisted into the air and several Vikings had decided to accompany Stoick and supervise the sacrifice. Spitelout had a tight grip on her arm that was sure to bruise. And then she saw him.

A silhouette on top of a night fury that was dressed in his gear, with the sword that had mocked the fighting skills of the best Vikings in the village on his back, and the mask that concealed his face.

Stoick raised a fist at the rider before shouting, "DRAGON MASTER! WE HAVE A PROPOSITION FOR YOU!"

After a few seconds, the night fury landed on the ground with a heavy gust of wind blowing over the Vikings. Astrid looked away immediately. She didn't want her gaze to be locked on him again.

He swiftly dismantled his dragon before unsheathing his sword and holding it in a defensive stance. She felt Spitelout flinch. The same sword had cut his leg after he, foolishly, tried to challenge the Dragon Master.

"Please, there is no need for that," Stoick said with a wave of his hand. She felt Spitelout shove her harshly which cause her to land face first into the dirt. Astrid thought she saw the Dragon Master flinch, but that must have been her imagination since he stood like a statue.

The man looked at her briefly and then looked back up at Stoick with a tilt of his head.

Stoick simply said, "Yours," as he gestured to Astrid. She sobbed again. The Dragon Master looked at her before looking back at Stoick before looking at her once again. Stoick continued his little explanation.

"You have shown that there is no bribing you by other means, but perhaps a servant to do with _as you please_ might make a difference."

The entire concept of a sacrifice sunk in at that very moment. The thought of what would be done to her, the fact that she would live the rest of her life as a slave. She couldn't hold back the tears this time.

They stood there for what felt like eons. The Dragon Master simply stared down at her as Stoick waited for a response. The rest of the village had decided to go ward off the dragons that were attacking the village. When he finally decided to move, the Dragon Master turned away and began to mount his dragon once again.

Astrid felt her heart jump. Was he really refusing her? Was he going to let her live? She obviously wasn't the only that noticed his rejection because Spitelout swiftly walked to her and forced her up with a knife held to her throat.

"If you're out for blood, then here! I'll spill the blood from this whore right in front of you!" he yelled as he pressed the knife closer to her throat.

Astrid closed her eyes, waiting for the inevitable.

Suddenly, she heard the unsheathing of a sword and opened her eyes just in time to see the Dragon Master throw his sword so that it pierced the ground directly in front of her. This quickly prompted Spitelout to back away as the Dragon Master dismounted his dragon once again. He walked over to Astrid and _helped_ her get up. He didn't hoist her up as everyone else had, but rather he guided her into a steady stance. He pinched her chin between his calloused fingers and stared right at her. She couldn't see his eyes, but she could tell that he was looking into hers. She felt it in her soul.

Then he dropped his hand away from her chin and placed it on her back. He grabbed his sword with his other hand at sheathed it on his back. He walked her over to the night fury and gently helped onto the dragons back. His hands were warm on her bare skin and the way he held her was the most gentle that she had been held that entire week.

As he mounted behind her, he placed a hand around her waist so that she was flush against his chest. Realization dawned on her as the night fury's wings spread. _He was taking her_. The last thing anyone heard before the dragon was gone was the bone-rattling scream of the girl they had sent to death.


	6. Chapter 6

**A little short. But if I went on, it would have been too long. Enjoy!**

Chapter 6: Back

Astrid was scared. All her life, she had made it her mission to never appear weak, _afraid_. But now, the dragon master kept a firm grip on her torso with her back flush against his leather chest plate and she was riding a _night fury_ : the most powerful dragon to ever appear on Berk. And she was scared. If admitting she was scared would let her go home, then she would admit all her fears and weaknesses to anyone. But it seems that fate is never on her side. First she drove off the heir of Berk, the boy that she had a crush on. Then the chief resented her. And now her own parents gave her up to something completely evil.

She couldn't hold back the tears anymore. She wept and wept; tears streaming down her face and soaking the neckline of her dress. The wall that she had built for years and years that had held back her fears had come crashing to the ground. She cried for what felt like years. She guessed that the dragon master must have been finding her sobbing amusing since he is composed of pure evil. But little did she know that the man behind the mask was silently weeping for her. He couldn't believe what had happened to her.

She started to hyperventilate after she ran out of tears. Astrid started to feel lightheaded. The night sky had started to dim away. All of a sudden, _he_ spoke.

"I'm sorry," he said.

Astrid suddenly bounced back to reality. She gasped as her eyes widened. She slowly turned just so that she could see him in the corner of her eye. He was staring down at her. She was more surprised than anything. His voice was much different than the first time he had spoken all those years ago. It was no longer raspy and gravelly. He sounded… normal. He sounded like a normal man her age. He had a slightly nasally voice that struck her with familiarity. He didn't sound like Snotlout, or Tuffnut, or Fishlegs. He sounded like-

"And you need to take slow, deep breaths. Like this."

He took his hand off of her waist and started to breath deeply. He used his hands to imitate the airflow by raising his hand up and down his chest as he breathed.

"W-What? Who are you? What do you want from me? What are you going to _do_ to me?! Please! Take me home!" If she were back at Berk, Astrid would have cursed herself for sounding so weak and afraid. But this is the _Dragon Master_ : the most skilled fighter to ever appear on Berk, the most feared enemy in the archipelago, and the master of the dragons. _Anyone_ would look weak in comparison to him.

She heard him sigh as he lowered his head. "I'm trying to help you here, Astrid."

"Help me? How could you possibly-" Astrid's eyes widened. She turned her head so that she was looking right at him. She felt fear strike her heart, but she held her gaze. "How do you know my name?" she asked cautiously.

The man cursed under his breath. "Shit. Okay, I apologize for what I'm about to do. I promise it won't kill you though. I promise that _I_ won't kill you."

"What are you talking about?" she asked with a shaky voice.

He held up his hand so that it was resting a few inches from her temple. She saw a sudden flash of purple light from his hand before the world went dark as the dream world overtook her.

 _She was in a meadow. She didn't recognize it, but it felt so warm and welcoming there. The sun was shining and the birds were chirping. It was such a warm and beautiful day. She was dressed in her usual spiked skirt, leggings, and blue tunic. She closed her eyes and spread out her arms so that she could feel the entire warmth on her body._

" _Hey, Astrid!"_

 _Her eyes shot open at her name. She looked over her shoulder to see a very familiar boy walking towards her. He stumbled a bit, which made her giggle as he made his way towards her._

" _Hi, Hiccup," she responded with a smile. He gave her a crooked grin. He was standing in front of her now. She was so relieved that he was finally here. After five long years, the heir had returned. Five years had really done a number on him. He was taller than her now. He was still skinny, but no longer bony. She could see the toned muscle that had developed over the years. He no longer had his round baby face, but rather he had a firm jawline with angles that really showed how he had aged over the years. He had some stubble forming around his chin and his hair had gotten a little messier._

 _Astrid felt her heart flutter. He was really, really attractive now. She unknowingly licked her lips before giving him the biggest hug she could possibly muster. Then she started to cry into his chest._

" _I've missed you so much. Hiccup I'm so sorry. Please forgive me. I didn't mean-"_

 _She was cut off by his soothing voice. "Shh, Astrid. It's all right. Everything is going to be all right."_

 _He then pushed her away just far enough so that he could look into her eyes._

" _I forgive you, Astrid. I'm not mad anymore."_

 _She looked at him with red, puffy eyes before burying her face back into his chest. She could definitely feel the toned muscle on his chest._

" _How? How could you forgive me for such a thing?"_

 _He stroked her the back of her hair and chuckled before saying, "It's just in my nature."_

 _She hugged him tighter. "Please don't leave me again."_

" _I won't. But Astrid you're going to have to go soon. You'll have to return. You'll have to face him."_

 _Then the memories came back: her parents giving her up, the dragon master taking her._

" _I can't, Hiccup. I can't face him. I always thought I was strong enough, but I can't face him."_

" _You're wrong, Astrid. You are strong. You will be able to face him and you will be able to overcome your fears."_

 _She looked up at his face while still holding onto him for dear life._

" _H-How? How do you know?"_

 _He looked down at her and smiled._

" _I know because I know."_

" _I can't do this without you, Hiccup," she said. Her tears were starting to return._

" _You won't have to. I will always be with you, Astrid. When you're in the dark, when you're lost, just remember, I will always be with you. I will always be in here." He then placed his hand above her heart._

" _You have to go back now, Astrid," he said. His voice was starting to fade away. She could feel herself drifting from his arms._

" _No! Not yet! I'm not ready!" she yelled. She was reaching out for him, but he only seemed to get farther away from her._

" _I will always be with you, Astrid."_

And then she woke up. Her eyelids felt heavy and she could feel the dried up tears on her cheeks. She was in some sort of a cave. It was dark and cold in there. She tried to stand up, but her hands were bound to a stone pillar.

" _I will always be with you, Astrid_."

She closed her eyes tightly before crying some more.

* * *

When she finally recovered from her emotional breakdown, Astrid was a mess. Her dress had become all dirty from being shoved into dirt and sitting down in a cave, her eyes were bloodshot, and her hair was a mess. By the time she had recovered, her eyes had finally adjusted to the darkness. She was being held in a large cave that had several stalagmites that had already reached the ceiling. She could hear water droplets falling from the ceiling and echoing through the large cave. She looked over he shoulder and saw a tunnel entrance that, no doubt, lead to other caves.

She started to panic. The Dragon Master was nowhere to be seen. She was all alone in this dark cave. Did he just leave her here to die? Oh Gods, death by starvation? Why couldn't he just have killed her then and there? Why did he have to give her false hope by saying that he wouldn't kill her? It's not like she's done anything to him! She's never fought him before and she has never tried to stop him. Then she heard some noises from outside the cave. They sounded like voices. But why would the Dragon Master be talking to himself? Then she realized that he was _not_ alone. And the second voice sent chills down her spine.

She could hear them coming. Their footsteps were getting louder and louder until-

"You dare bring a mortal here?! You have exposed yourself! You should have left her there for them to do with as they please!" the second person had said. It sounded like a man. But she felt extremely cold all of a sudden. She could see the fog of her breath through the darkness. Then she heard them enter the cave. They stopped close to the entrance. Astrid chanced a glance over to where they were standing. The Dragon Master was still standing in his leather armor. Only this time, he had no mask.

She could see that he had longer hair. It was brown, black, or auburn. She couldn't tell in the dark though. She just knew he had dark hair. He was…he was human. She always knew that he was a man, but she had started to doubt herself after seeing the things that he could do. The other man stood directly in front of him. This man was dressed in a black cloak. His hood was up which blocked Astrid's view from his face. He had what looked like a scythe on his back while the Dragon Master had his sword sheathed on his own.

"Yes, yes I heard you the first billion times," the Master had said with a hint of sarcasm.

 _Sarcasm. The only person I know who has sarcasm is-_

"And I know that you taught me to never get too close to the village. But this time is different." The man's voice became a whisper. "They _sacrificed_ her. They think that by giving up an innocent girl that I will stop something that I cannot control."

 _He…He doesn't sound evil. He is the only person to recognize what my village had done. And what does he mean by he can't control the dragon raids? He is the dragon master after all. Why can't he just stop raiding?_ Astrid thought. She had only heard a few sentences from this man and yet she had so many pressing questions.

But then she remembered what he was going to do to her. He was going to abuse her. She would be his slave in _all_ ways. She only hoped that her life would end soon.

"You see what I mean now…those people are desperate. They will do anything to get their way. This is your problem now. _She_ is your problem now." He paused and glanced over to her. "She's waking up now. Do what you must," the other man said.

She saw the man in the black cloak go to the tunnel entrance before pausing and saying, "She dreamt of you."

And then he was gone. She heard the Dragon Master sigh. He then walked over to one the walls of the cave and lit up a torch that was mounted on the wall. He then took out a knife and walked towards her. Her breath hitched when he grabbed her hands. She was surprised when she felt the ropes slacken. She pulled her arms from behind the stone pillar so that they were resting in her lap.

 _This is it,_ Astrid thought. _Just be strong. Don't look at him when he takes you, Astrid. Just endure it and maybe it'll be over soon_ , she kept telling to herself.

She was surprised to find that the Dragon Master walked over to the wall opposite of her. She was about to get up when he said, "Don't move. Just listen."

"Why should I listen to you?" she asked with a shaky voice.

"Because I will kill you if you try anything." She didn't doubt him. "W-What do you want from me?" she asked. "If you're going to rape me, just do it already."

She heard him laugh. Astrid frowned. _That laugh is… familiar._ "Do you really think I would do that? Hah. You, Vikings, always have been narrow minded."

"S-So you aren't going to kill me?" Astrid asked with a slight sense of hope.

"Did you not hear me when we were riding Toothless?" he asked.

"T-Toothless?"

"The night fury."

"You named him?" she asked.

"Well when I first found him, I didn't know what to- That's besides the point. The point is I'm not going to hurt you as long as you don't try anything." He then sheathed his knife. "See? No weapons."

Astrid slightly relaxed at his reassurances. At this point, she would believe anything if it meant her safety.

"Alright. Now that that's settled," he said as he sheathed the knife, "I have a few questions to ask you."

Astrid scoffed. "You have questions to ask me? You seem to know everything about us: where we keep our food, where the dragons are located, and how to sneak around every defense. I certainly have some questions for you."

The man leaned forward just enough so that his jawline was visible from the torchlight. He had a firm jawline with stubble at the base of his chin. "What would you like to ask?"

"Where did you learn to fight? How did you make that sword? How are you able to command the dragons? Who _are_ you? What-"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. One question at a time," he said as he waved his hands in the air.

"Okay, then. I'll start with the most obvious one. Who the hell are you?" she asked. He gave a low deep chuckle before leaning forward so that the light from the fire shun upon his face. Astrid's eyes widened at the sight of messy auburn hair and forest green eyes. _Hiccup_.

"I was the boy who was told to figure out which side he was on," he said. Hiccup's eyebrows were knotted together into a frown. His expression showed anger, sadness, and pity.

Astrid felt her heart drop when he referred to what she had said all those years ago. _Figure out which side your on!_

He then scooted closer so that he was kneeling down right in front of her. "H-Hiccup?" Astrid said with a shaky voice.

He gestured to himself and said, "The one and only."

Astrid felt a storm of emotions inside of her. Anger for all that he had done these past few years, relief that he was alive, hope since it was _Hiccup_ who took her, and fear for what he has become. She hoped that deep down inside he was still the same boy that she had watched from afar. She wanted to say so many things all at once. But the only thing she was able to do was jump into his arms and hug him tightly. She would have never expected him to hug her back.


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey! I'm sorry this is so late. I was going to update on Thursday, but I had wrist surgery that day and I couldn't write that day and the day after because of the anesthesia they gave me. But here we are, and I still plan on updating every other Thursday. See you guys next time and I hope you enjoy! Also, I just wanna apologize in advance if there are any grammar errors. I didn't have enough time to proof read. Sorry!**

* * *

Chapter 7

Almost as soon as the hug began, it ended. It ended when Hiccup pushed Astrid away, mostly because she became so stiff. Astrid had finally come to her senses. All the memories of what he has destroyed and the things that he's done to the village came rushing back. Hiccup could see that her face was vibrant shade of red and her eyes were full of anger and hate. Hiccup braced himself for what he knew was to come.

Astrid raised her hand and slapped him right across the face. Hiccup's head turned, but he didn't flinch. He simply raised his hand to touch his cheek before turning back to face her. He could feel the searing pain from the slap as blood rose to where his cheek had been hit. But the pain did not bother him. It had stopped bothering him long ago. He gave her a look as if telling her to continue.

"What the _fuck_ is wrong with you, Hiccup?!" she exclaimed as she got up onto her feet and backed away from him. "All this time, you've been the Dragon Master? You've terrorized your own village, your _people_? How could you do such a thing?"

Hiccup's entire expression change as his head snapped so that he was staring at her. Astrid flinched and looked away. She couldn't take the look that he was giving her. It felt like he was burning his gaze into her. He then stood up without dropping his gaze.

He scoffed before saying, "My people? You mean the people that terrorized _me_ for years? The people who never gave me a chance?" Hiccup then started to walk slowly towards her. "The people who never accepted who I was? The people who drove me out? Why would I ever want to help _you_ and _your_ people?"

Astrid gritted her teeth. She would not show weakness. She then looked at him and noticed how close he was. "They were your people too."

"Not anymore," he said before turning away.

Astrid felt anger, hate, and resentment boiling up in the pit of her stomach. When she finally couldn't hold it in any longer, she let all of it out. "I thought you were dead!"

He stopped in his tracks but didn't turn around.

"I thought that you were killed by that beast that you ride around! I would have never expected that the kind, smart, and sarcastic Hiccup would become something so…so _evil_!"

Astrid saw his face twitch before he spun around with retaliation. "You think that this is what I wanted!" Astrid suddenly felt fear again. She felt herself shrink as he walked towards her again. "You want to know how I became like this!? Then you should start by thinking about that day when you _drove_ me out! You think I'm a monster?! You _turned_ me into a monster!"

When she didn't respond, Hiccup turned around and walked to the mouth of the cave.

Astrid then spoke softly, but just loud enough so that he could hear. "I would rather be dead than be with a monster like you." She didn't mean it. She knew she didn't mean it. But she had to get it out. In all honesty, she was actually pretty relieved that it was Hiccup because surely he wouldn't harm her. He hasn't killed anyone before, so why would he start now?

But then he turned around, and quickly walked towards her without a single word and grabbed her by the neck and started to drag her out of the cave. She clawed at his hand, gasping for air. She managed to barely gasp his name a few times, but he didn't respond. His focus was simply on walking out of the cave. When they were finally in the main chamber, he dragged her over to the opening where they had come in.

It was storming and she could barely see through the night sky. Hiccup then hoisted her up and held her out so that she was dangling over the edge. The only thing that kept her from falling was Hiccup's grip on her throat. She stared at him with fear as she started to get soaked from the pouring rain. She kept her grip on his arm and she was barely able to breath. He stared at her with pure anger and resentment, the same look that she had given him a few minutes ago, the same look that many of the villagers had given him.

"You want to die, Astrid?" he asked in a deep tone.

Unable to get any words out, she shook her head as tears came down her cheek and mixed with the rainwater.

He smirked and scoffed at the same time. "Really? Is that so? Because if I remember correctly, you said that you'd rather die than be here with me."

She let out a choked sob as more tears flooded out of her eyes. Then something changed. Hiccup's entire facial expression changed. His eyes widened and his mouth opened slightly, as if he was realizing that something was wrong. Then all of a sudden, he pulled her in and embraced her in his arms as they dropped to the floor. He grabbed a blanket that had been cast aside and wrapped it around her as he held her. She cried some more as she gasped for breath. She cast a glance up at him and saw that his entire demeanor showed regret.

"I-I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

He then released her so that she was sitting alone on the stone floor, wrapped in a blanket. He quickly got up and ran through one of the tunnels into the caves. Astrid tried to call his name, but she was too short of breath to say anything. She simply just held the blanket tightly around her as she scooted as far away as she could from the entrance that would have led her to her death.

* * *

About an hour later, after Astrid had finally recovered from her oxygen deprivation, the light had started to shine in through the opening of the cave. The day was about to begin. It was still dark, but there was just enough light that Astrid could see her surroundings clearly. She carefully stood up and held the blanket around her shoulders. It was pretty cold inside of the caves and her dress wasn't exactly made for survival purposes.

She inched her way towards the entrance and looked down to see the ocean waves crashing against the wall of the mountain. The entrance was about 100 feet above the sea and there were jagged rocks resting at the base of the mountain where the ocean waves crashed into it. She looked out across the ocean and saw no land in sight. The entire place was completely isolated.

She turned back around so that she was now facing the cave, which had several tunnels the lead to different parts of the mountain. She took note of the tunnel that she was dragged from and the tunnel that Hiccup ran in to. She would go after him…eventually. After all, he was her only way out of this place. She heard streams of water coming from one of the tunnels and assumed that it was his source of fresh water.

But something peculiar caught her eye on the wall of the cave. It looked as if there had been a fight, which was strange since Hiccup was the only person who was here with her, right? But she noticed how there were slashes in the wall that came from a blade. She raised a shaky hand to touch one of the blade marks but stopped when she heard footsteps coming from a different tunnel. She whipped around only to find Hiccup coming out of one of the tunnels with a bundle of furs in his arms.

He looked up at her shyly with the same look of regret in his eyes before saying, "I brought some furs for your bed."

Astrid raised an eyebrow at him in confusion before saying, "Bed?"

"Oh, I, uh, I was going to show you to your room. It's, uh, just down this tunnel."

He turned around and gestured to the tunnel that he had come from. "If you could just follow me, I'll show you where it is."

As he turned around and walked back into the tunnel, Astrid felt a bit of fear as she followed him into the dark tunnel. She could barely see and had to walk slowly so that she didn't trip on anything. But Hiccup was walking as if he knew the way by heart.

"How can you see in this place?" Astrid asked.

Hiccup stopped for a moment as if to think before saying, "I just memorized the way. But here, let me light up a torch really quickly."

He then reached over to the wall and grabbed a torch before reaching into a compartment in his armor to grab a small box. He opened the box and took out a small stick before striking it against the box. To Astrid's amazement, the tiny stick caught on fire. Hiccup held the small stick so that it's flame was touching the torch. The torch quickly sprung to life as Hiccup tossed the smaller stick onto the ground before putting the flame out with his boot.

"It's only a little further," he said before continuing down the tunnel.

When they reached their destination, Astrid was surprised at how big her "room" was. It was a giant cavern that had no stalagmites or stalactites as well as small holes in the wall so that sunlight could come through and light up the room. Despite the light, the cave was still fairly dark. Hiccup walked over to a fireplace that had been placed into the wall of the cavern and lit up the wood that rested inside. He then lit up several more torches so that the room was completely illuminated before placing the furs on top of an elevated stone slab.

"So, uhmm, this is your bed. Believe me it's not as uncomfortable as it looks. It's actually a lot softer with all the furs than the beds in Berk ever were." His tone seemed bitter when he mentioned Berk.

"There are plenty of torches around the room so if you ever want to go back, you can just take one with you. I'll show you around the mountain later, but right now, I have to, erm, do something important."

He gave a small nod before walking back towards the tunnel. He stopped when Astrid said, "Hiccup."

He looked over his shoulder before saying, "Yeah?"

Astrid softly responded with, "Take me home."

He paused for a moment before saying, "I wish I could." Without another word, he walked back into the darkness of the tunnel. He didn't bring a torch with him this time.

* * *

 **So if you guys remember, Hiccup can see in the dark now because of the special effects his mask had on him. Over the years, his vision has greatly improved from the effects of the mask and he's just trying to cover up his special abilities. And we'll probably get to those marks on the wall next chapter ;) See you guys next time!**


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